Isack Hadjar is beginning to ask the same troubling questions that once haunted Max Verstappen's former Red Bull teammates. After Miami Sprint qualifying, the young driver found himself nearly a full second off the Dutchman's blistering pace—a gap that has become a familiar story for those sharing a garage with the four-time world champion.

Hadjar will start Saturday's Sprint from ninth on the grid, while Verstappen lines up in fifth, just behind George Russell. The early signs from Verstappen's return after a five-week break were promising, though former champion Jenson Button noted that the RB22 still seemed to lack speed through the faster corners. Yet, as he so often does, Verstappen delivered when it mattered most during the shootout, leaving Hadjar to grapple with frustration.

Speaking to French broadcaster Canal+ after the session, Hadjar voiced his confusion over the massive time gap. "Honestly, since this morning, I've been struggling to understand what's going on," he said. "It's frustrating; I'm a second behind my teammate." The day had started similarly, with Verstappen posting a lap in FP1 that was 1.3 seconds quicker than Hadjar's best effort.

Hadjar continued, "I've always known why I was slower and why I was sometimes faster than him in the first three Grands Prix. But a second? We'll have to find out why. I know I can still drive. I'm not going to understand it. It's also difficult to analyze the developments in this context. I'm not enjoying the car at all." He added, "For me, it's not a big step forward. For Max, he's certainly half a second off pole. It's the best result of the year for us."

The struggles of Red Bull's second seat have become a well-worn narrative in Formula 1. Verstappen's teammates have consistently fallen short of his level, and the doubts Hadjar is now raising echo those expressed by former Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko in a 2022 interview with Car and Driver. When Marko stated, "Having Max as a teammate isn't good for your career," he was asked about the very questions Hadjar is now asking himself.

For fans and aspiring drivers, this serves as a reminder of the immense challenge that comes with racing alongside a generational talent—and why Verstappen's dominance continues to shape Red Bull's legacy.